Gas-producer.



I. A. HERRICK.

GAS PRODUCER. APPUCATION man SEPT. 2a. 1913.

Pmmm Jan. 2,191?

2 SHEFT$-SHEET I w mi o k. .safi and new as...) new in @F NEW' EOCHELLE,NEW YORK.

GAS-PRODUCEF a i i Application filed Eeptember 26, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES A. Hcmucn, acitizen of the United States of America, and resident of New Rochelle inthe county of lVestchester and State of New York, (whose lowing is aspecification.

This invention relates to gas producers,

and has for its object to provide an apparatus of such construction thatthe mass of fuel within the combustion zone will be kept from clogging,and the formation of crevices or fissures prevented, while the dischargeof ashes from the ash zone may be accomplished at desired intervalswithout interfering with the operation of the producer; these objectsbeing attained by providing a rotatable section inclosing the combustionzone and provided with driving means, and another rotatable sectioninclosing the ash zone but not provided with driving means, and meansfor coupling the two sections together at will, so that rotation of thecoinbustion-zone section will eilect rotation of the ash-zone section.

Ether objects and aims of the invention, more or less broad than thosestated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be in partobvious and in part specifically referred to in the course of thefollowing description of the elements, combinations, arrangements ofparts, and applications of principles constituting the invention; andthe scope of protection contemplated will appear from the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of thisspecification,

and in which. I have shown one of the various possible embodiments ofthis invention as at present preferred: Figure 1 is a vertical sectionalview. taken through the producer; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional viewtaken on the line 52- 5 of Fig. 1, with certain of the parts shown inplan; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Fig.2; Fig. 4. is a top plan view of certain parts shown. in Fig. 1; Fi .5is an enlarged detail view partly in section and partly in elevation,showing a possible means of intermittcntly and selectively coupling up arotative section and a normally fixed section of the producer, and thisdetail view may be assumed to be taken on the line 55 of Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2., 1591?.

Serial No. 791,893.

Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a top plan View of the parts shown in Fi 5; and Fig. 7is a View similar to Fig. 2, but showing a slightly differentarrangement of slightly dissimilar but practically equivalent parts.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral \iews of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings A represents the casing of a producer thesame being constituted in the present instance by upper, intermediateand lower sections 8, 9 and 10, respectively, the upper section beingsupported in the usual manner by means'of a suitable plurality ofuprights 11 (but one of which is here shown) which rest upon thefoundation or setting 12-.

The lower section of the producer tapers inwardly as shown at 13, whichtapered portion carries an annular track i l which rests upon rollers 15revolubly journaled in brackets 16 carried by uprights 11. Although thetrack 14 and the cooperant rollers 15 are here provided, lower section10 is normally non-rotatal'ile, these rollers in the main merelysupporting said lower section at a suitable horizontal location.

llhe means provided for revolving the intermediate section 5) comprisesa gear wheel 17 which meshes with teeth formed upon the annular membersection and fixedly secured thereto. Gear wheel 17 is carried upon theshaft 19, which shaft is suitably supported and receives its power fromany suitable source.

Numeral 20 indicates a receptacle or basin formed in the setting 12underneath the body of the producer into which dips the tapering end 13of lower section 10. The lower end of the latter-extends below the levelof the water in the basin; whereby the lower end 01 the producer istrapped or sealed. Basin 20 is also adapted for receiving ashes whichare discharged from the lower end of the producer and which may beremoved by any suitable means, a space for this purpose being providedbetween the lower end of the producer and the side Walls of the basin.The discharge of ashes from the producer into the basin is regu lated ashereinafter described by means of selectively and intermittentlyrotating the lower section 10, the fixed ash-bed normally resting abovethe twyer box 21 (a merely preferable type of. such. twyer box beinghere-disclosed) which is supported as shown 18 encircling said iooIntermediate section 9 water-sealed to' lower section 10 by anywell-known means, as for instance, indicated at J, and said section 9 isalso similarly water-sailed to upper fixed section 8 as at Locatedwithin upper section 8 of the producer and depending from the cover 2!)is an annular curtain or partition 30'. This annular partition orcurtain is spaced. from the inner walls of section 8 to form a mixingchamber 31 and leading from this mixing chamber is preferably aplurality of upcomers 32, rather than a single upcomer as heretofore employed, in the present instance two upcomers 32 being disclosed forpurposes ofillus tration. These upcomers 32 here lead into a common main33 as shown.

Upper fixed section 8 is here preferably. but not necessarily,constructed of a plurality of joined ring-subdivisions, in con nectionwith which it should be noted that certain other of the sections couldbe so constructed, and that curtain 30 is also here pu'eferably soconstructed. a detailed description of the construction of each of whichand their possible utilizable cooling circulations or other structural faturcs will be taken up hereinafter. In this connection it should benoted that the partition 30 here disclosed is intended as an improvementupon and a structural variation from a generally similar devicedisclosed and claimed in Letters Patent Xo. 1.001 953, heretofore issuedto this applicant on August 29th, 1911.

(over 29 carries a plate 34 (see also Fig. 4) which is here providedwith a circular opening 35 to communicate with the interior of curtain30. llate 3+ also carries a pair of parallel tracks CHL upon whichslidably mounted a truck 37, and the latter carries two openings 38 and3!) respectively (see Fig. l), the former in one adjustment of the truck37 upon the plate 34 registering with opening 35, and the latterinanother adjustment of said truck registering with said opening 515.Opening, 38 has associatcd therewith a removable cover plate 40 andopening 39 has associated therewith a hopper 4-1 and removablehoppercover 42. Any means for shifting truck 37 upon its tracks 36 may beemployed, in illustration whereof there is disclosed in Fig. J: abreastbar 43 rigidly carried by truck 37. Thus were it desired to feedfuel into. the interior of the producer continuously and via theinterior of the partition 30, it Will readily be seen that it is merelynecessary, for instance, to shift the truck 37 so that its opening 38registers with the opening 35, then remove the cover plate l0, and thenin any suitable manner feed the fuel through the registered openings 38and 35.

Referring now to apossible construction of the partition 30, attentionis directed to a plurality of depending stirring members i4 prefeablycarried thereby as shown, which may or may not be used in connectionwith this embodiment of this invention. These members l-l here dependWithin the fuel zone supported by intermediate section 9, and since saidsection is preferably continuously rotated, the members H will serve auseful agitative function if employed. These members may be' Watercooled or otherwise equipped with heat insulating instrumentalities asdesired.

In Fig. l a poker 45 of any type is indicated in dotted lines andpresumed to be mounted in a prefe ably gas-tight ball-and socket supportl6 whereby said poker, if employed here. may be varyingly adjusted toextend into the interior of intermediate section 9. ()r the said pokerl5 and said support 46 may respectively be located as indicated indotted lines at to and 46. Ad ditional agitation may be eifectuated.with reference to the fuel mass in the producer by means of theintroduction. if desired, of a poker or the like through the opening Ifthe lower section 10 be made continu ously rotatable with theintermediate section .'the ashbed normally located above the twyer box21' will not be intermittently stable enough for economic operation ofthe producer, inasmuch as a steady flow of ashes is precipitated or speved,downwardly by centrifutnil action, this in turn lowering the upperlevel of the fuel mass at a too rapid and wasteful rate. 011 the otherhand, if lower section 10 be rigidly set in place and permanentlyanchored. as has been the general practice heretofore. the ashes will atintervals have to be laboriously due out by hand and with much sacrificeof efliciency. The present disclosure in this connection will partake ofall the advantages of a continuously rotatable lower section 10, butwill not include any of the disadvantages of such a construction. Ashereinbcfore stated, lower section 10 is normally immovable upon itsroller supports, intermediate section 9 bein )referably continuouslyrotating at h v V a a suitable speed. As shown in Fig. 1, but as moreclearly disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6, the usual annularwater-accommodatingtrough 47 carried by lower section 10 for cooperationwith the depending annular curtain 48 is-here provided with a pluralityof spaced pockets 4? integrally webbed upon the usual casting whichconstitutes the annular trough aforesaid. The wall 47 shownin Fig. 5 maybe trans ersely apertured, if desired, to the end that the water withintrough 47 may circulate through each pocket and cool the same.intermediate section 9 is provided with a pluraliy of angle brackets 49to a number preferably corresponding to the number of pockets 47employed on lower section 10, the angle brackets at!) being alsopreferably spaced uniformly and in similarity to the spacing of pockets4:7. The pockets are each adapted to accommodate here a manuallyinsertible and removable bolt 50. \Vhen it is desired. to intermittentlyrotate with intermediate section 9 the lower and normally iinmo *ablesection 10, it is merely necessary, when it is remembered that the usualrate of rotation of intermediate section 9 is exceedingly low, to insertwithin each pocket 47 a bolt 50, the preterable method of insertion ofwhich bolts is to commence the insertion of said bolts one after theother at the instant when the angle brackets 49 have just passed thefixed location of the pockets 47', a suitable interval of time beingthus provided for a single at tendant to install all of the bolts 50before the angle brackets 49 are transported to proximity with a newseries of pockets 457. This will insure that each angle bracket 49 willsimultaneously advance into contact with a bolt 50' and obviate anydanger of shearing any lesser plurality otsaid bolts than the pluralitywhich in accordance with the size of the producer and the inertia of thelower section 10 is predetermined as adequate to withstand as a groupthe strain of overcoming the inertia of lower section 10. In thismanner, the continuously rotating intermediate section 9 may whendesired set up a temporary and an accompanying rotation of lower section10 automatically to spew downwardly the accumulated surplusage of ashes,and this without any necessity for preparatorily ceasing the rotation ofintermediate section 9 to retain the coupling of section 9 and section10 as above described. When lower section 10 has sufiiciently rotated,its temporary connection with intermediate section 9 may be terminated;and probably in the present instance it will be found desirable, forthis uncoupling, to cease for a short space of time the rotation ofintermediate section 9. The sections now being considered are, ofcourse, uncoupled here by removing the bolts 50 from the pockets 47. Itshould be understood, however, that the utilization of auxiliary meansto intermittently rotate lower section 10 is within the scope of thisinvention, or the utilizationot coupling instrumentalities other thanthe angle brackets 49 and the bolts 50, whether or not such othercoupling instrumentalities be adapted for being made effective orineffective during the rotation of intermediate section 9.

It should be understood, then,.that the fuel falls automatically as theashes are shaken down, and especially so in the presence of thefuel-receiving partition 30 (which may be here utilized), and the fireis thus solidified. It is reiterated that a fundamental feature of thisimprovement is the fact that a construction is shown in connection withwhich means of various characteristics could be employed. The salientstructural idea is the division of a normally lower revoluble producersection into a plurality of sections, as the present sections 9 and 10,either of which is independently rotatable, or both of which aresimultaneously rotatable. Thus here it could be arranged to giveautomatic actuation to either or both of the sections 9 and 10. It isobvious for instance that the driving shaft 19 could be utilized tocause the predetermined rotation of section 10 independently of themiddle section. It is also obvious that means for simultaneouslyremoving or inserting the bolts 50, or their equiva ents, could bereadily used,'and for doing this, if desired, at stated times ordetermined by the attendant. All the foregoing to the end that the ashesmay be removed and the coal settled as necessary, so that, inaccordance. with the speed or speeds of rotation of one or both of saidsections, and in accordance with the amount of steam or air blastpresent, there may be predetermined the amount or rate of fuel-teed forthe number of cubic feet of gas desired to be produced. The successfulexperiment has been made of burning from 250 to 1,500 pounds of coal perhour, using 2.5 up to 30 lbs. steam pressure, in the same producer, todetermine whether the latter will satisfy, merely by changing thepressure and rate of rotation, any given consumption of coal andprodmtion of gas. In this embodiment of the invention, it will be notedthat the stirring and poking effect may be confined to its proper zone(that surrounded by the section 9) and the ash-discharging effectsconfined also to its proper zone (that surrounded by the section 10.) Itwill be seen, too, that here the stirring members 44 are effective forbreaking up and leveling the coal, after the same has passed .from' theinterior of partition 30; thereby preventing porosity in the fire-bed,aiding to shake down the ashes, and comprising an adequate and lesscostly and worrisome substitute for the old hand poking or theheretofore utilized mechanical pokings. The pocker 45 (or 45) isillustratively disclosed. however, and the same, or a substitutetherefor, may be used. preferably to bear against the inner wall of thesection 9 to prevent the formation of clinkers so sure to occur to someextent in any producer.

Referring now particularly to the res ently disclosed possibleconstructions 0 partition 3O (hereinafter referred to as hopper 30),attention is directed first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 2 shows (as doesalso Fig. 7) a preferable method of building up section 10, (and, ifdesired, the other sections employed), that is, by assembling as shown,

and preferably suitably bonding together,

the arcuate sub-divisions 51; this construction resulting in animportant economy and convenience of construction. The hopper 30 may, ifdesired, be braced in position by a suitable plurality of the struts 52(not shown in Fig. 2), or by a suitable plurality of the hollow pipes 53(which are preferably hollowed for a water-cooling circulationtherethrough as hereinafter described inasmuch asthe location of saidpipes is adjacent the combustion zone), or otherwise. To guide therockable poker 45 or 45, if employed, two of the pipes 53 are preferablyparallelly associated as shown in Figs. 2 and T,-a description of the,parts shown in the latter figure being below set forth.

The hopper 30 may be made of a single casting, hollowed to establish, orotherwise carrying, conduits for a cooling circulation or circulationsas desired, or it may be built up of a plurality 'of assembledsubdivisions 54 as shown in Figs. 2 and 7.

Various possible cooling circulations are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Asshown best in Fig. 2, the circulation 55-55 may traverse the interiorsof sub-divisions 51, the pipes the sub-divisions 54, and the connectingtubes 56; the circulation 5757 may traverse one half of the lowerperiphery of the hopper 30 and the ribs 59; and the circulation 58-58may traverse the other half of the said periphery and said ribs It isseen that at the points 54: in Fig. 2, certain of these circulationsapparently blend; but in Fig. 3 a suitable method of construction of thehopper 30 is shown at 55 and 58 (compare Fig, l at 55). Thesecirculations,

or any two of them, may, if desired, have a common inlet conduit and acommon outlet conduit, the latter, as indicated at ($0, 61 and 62, inFig. 1, preferably uniting with the water seals 47 and 28 and eventuallyletting into the collected liquid in basin 20. And still anotherpossible cooling circulation, in this instance a continuous one, isdisclosed at 63-63 in Figs. 1 and 7, the hopper 30 not being heredisclosed as carrying the ribs 59 (Fig. 2) and the circulationtraversing the interiors of sub-divisions 51. the pipes 53, Sections ofthe lower peripheral edge of hopper 30 and the connecting tubes 56. Thiscirculation, too, may haveits outlet conduit suitably let into the basin20.

he circulation just described, preferably confined as it is withreference to the hopper to the latters lower peripheral edge, isbelieved to be practicable, inasmuch as said edge only is in-closeproximity to the combustion zone.

If the hopper 30 were made with double concentric side walls in place ofthe ribs 59 (as indicated at 64 in Fig. 1), it would be Within theprovince of this invention, but this would probably cause a too extremecooling elfect, which would act to chill the outgoing gases.

Particular attention is directed to the plurality of spaced studs 65 orthe like shown in Fig. 1, which could with particular advantage housedin connection with the hopper and cooling circulation shown in Fig. 7,and the function of which will now be described.

lt has been aimed to secure the benefits of hanging the hopper 30 insuch a way as to provide a steady feeding of fuel for partiallygasifying the coal, and as to provide a carrying over of the generatedheavy hy drocarbon gases directly into the annular space between thehopper and section 8, to the end that these heavy gases may combine withthe lighter CO gases to become more fixed and cooled down to about halfthe initial heat of the CO, CO, and H gases evolved from the hot-firedzone. This sends forth the final gases cooled and fixed, and nearly freefrom the suspended tar and soot. There is believed to beno actualcombustion of coal until the same falls below the hopper. Thereis a veryconsiderable distillation of heavy hydrocarbon, with much coking action.Now in order to keep the hopper from cutting or wearing away or beingdistorted by heat, it would be desirable to coat the entire outsidesurface of the hopper with a layer of gas-carbon (solidified coke andtar). This is an excellent heat insulator and normally gradually formsabout and upon the hopper, and is burned thereon and held in place byits entanglement with the studs 65. A coating is thus economically andautomatically adopted by the hopper, which will preclude any chillingeffect upon the gases being produced.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a producer of greateliiciency, simplicity and economy.

Inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above construction, andmany appar. ently widely different embodiments of my. invention couldbe'made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

T1; is also to be understood that the language. used in the followingclaims is 111- tended to cover all the generic and specific ei enfeatures of the invention herein described and all statements of thescope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said tofall therebetween.

Having described this invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A gas producer, having two sections, both of which are rotatable,means for driving one of the sections, and means for coupling the twosections together at Will.

2. A gas producer, having two sections, both of which are rotatable,means for driving one of the sections, means for coupling the twosections together at will, one of the sections inclosing the combustionzone and the other the ash zone.

3. A gas producer, having two sections, both of Which are rotatable,means for driving one of the sections, means for coupling the twosections together at will, one of the sections inclosing the combustionzone and the other the ash zone, and a tWyer-boX extending into the ashzone.

4. A. gas producer, having two sections, both of which are rotatable,means for driving one of the sections, means for coupling the twosections together at will, one of the sections inclosing the combustionzone and the other the ash zone, and a non-circular twyer-boX extendinginto the ash zone.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo Witmesses.

' JAMES A. HERRICK. In the presence of- FRANK J KENT, ALDA L.-MILLER.

